Ironbridge Gorge
) }} The Ironbridge Gorge is a deep gorge, containing the River Severn in Shropshire, England. It was first formed by a glacial overflow from the long drained away Lake Lapworth, at the end of the last ice age. The deep exposure of the rocks cut through by the gorge exposed commercial deposits of coal, iron ore, limestone and fireclay, which enabled the rapid economic development of the area during the early Industrial Revolution. Originally called the Severn Gorge, the gorge now takes its name from its famous Iron Bridge, the first iron bridge of its kind in the world, and a monument to the industry that began there. The bridge was built in 1779 to link the industrial town of Broseley with the smaller mining town of Madeley and the growing industrial centre of Coalbrookdale. There are two reasons the site was so useful to the early industrialists. The raw materials, coal, iron ore, limestone and clay, for the manufacture of iron, tiles and porcelain are exposed or easily mined in the gorge. The deep and wide river allowed easy transport of products to the sea. Formation The gorge carries the River Severn south towards the Bristol Channel. It was formed during the last ice age when the water from the previously north-flowing river became trapped in a lake (Lake Lapworth) created when the Irish Sea ice sheet dammed the river. The lake level rose until the water flowed through the hills to the south. This flow eroded a path through the hills, forming the gorge and permanently diverting the Severn southwards. The Gorge parish The Gorge is a civil parish of Telford and Wrekin borough. It covers the part of Ironbridge Gorge that falls within the Telford and Wrekin Council area, which is most of it, and includes settlements such as Ironbridge, Coalbrookdale and Coalport (but not Buildwas or Broseley) and part of Jackfield. It is divided into three parish wards: Lightmoor, Ironbridge, and Coalport & Jackfield. The parish council has its offices and holds its meetings at the Maws Craft Centre in Jackfield. The population of this civil parish at the 2011 census was 3,275. Conservation in the Gorge Green Wood Centre has spent over twenty years training new coppice and woodland workers, with the aim of reviving the coppicing industry. Severn Gorge Countryside Trust manages most of the woodland, grassland and other countryside within the Ironbridge Gorge World Heritage Site, around in all. BTCV's Green Gym works with the trust to assist them on woodland work. Severn Gorge Countryside Trust and The Green Wood Centre run a joint volunteer project enabling local people to engage locally in activities such as coppicing, scrub removal, deer fencing, step building and woodland management. Photos See also * Ironbridge Gorge Museums * Geology of Shropshire * Ironbridge Power Station References External links * Ironbridge Gorge Visitor Information * Telford Culture Zone * Tourism Website for Ironbridge * Ironbridge Gorge.com * Ironbridge Pub Locations * Ironbridge Gorge Tourism website * ITV Local footage at Ironbridge Gorge * Photo of the Gorge from the air * The Ironbridge Gorge by Virtual Shropshire * World Heritage Site information from UNESCO * Map of UNESCO World Heritage Site * Ironbridge Archaeology * Green Wood Centre * Severn Gorge Countryside Trust * Green Gym * Landslides in the Ironbridge Gorge by the British Geological Survey 01 Category:Canyons and gorges of England Category:Landforms of Shropshire Category:Telford and Wrekin Category:Geology of Shropshire Category:Industrial Revolution in England Category:Tourist attractions in Shropshire Category:World Heritage Sites in England